Get People Into IT Jobs: How Can You Help

Since last June, the CompTIA Educational Foundation has been focused on becoming a more effective organization in the effort to find under-served populations lasting careers in the IT industry. Through research on our own program’s outcomes and studying the work of other non-profits and government organizations involved in workforce development, we found that our foundation was not achieving the level of job placement that was possible in other programs. We moved quickly to improve those numbers.

Our board of directors recognized several areas for immediate change. First, bring greater diversity of ideas and experience to our board going forward. Our new board members for 2011 reflect different demographics as well as experiences in IT and workforce development. Second, we created a Women in IT Council to bring a voice to our efforts to have more women consider careers in IT from the populations we are serving. The Council’s first projects soon will be underway.

On January 1, our new board of directors began a three-month strategic planning process that will culminate with a new focus and goals for the coming years. We already have chosen a redefined vision, mission and core objective for the foundation. While the vision and mission are not far from where we were before, through our strategic planning process we have asked questions and clarified assumptions to make sure our efforts are more focused and clearly understood.

• Our vision is that the CompTIA Educational Foundation enables people to improve their lives through employment in the IT industry.


• Our mission is that the foundation’s services help at-risk individuals and populations under-represented in IT prepare for, secure and be successful in IT careers.


• Our core objective is to develop a scalable, repeatable and sustainable model for connecting the populations that we serve with training, mentoring, interning and employment opportunities in IT, along with support services for long-term career success, by building and managing local coalitions of training organizations, employers, IT industry professionals and public agencies.

We also addressed some underlying assumptions to make clear what we are doing and what we are not doing. We recognized that we are the charitable arm of CompTIA, and we want to better engage the CompTIA membership in our efforts and in philanthropy in general. As a foundation, we are dedicated to philanthropic IT workforce development, and we want to promote the IT industry as a dynamic and growing career option to potential employees. We also want the individuals in our program to pay it forward and give back to others who need a helping hand.

We still have work to do in defining our core programs, and we look forward to sharing those details with you later in April. For now, we need your help in the following areas:

1. New Name: We want a new name and identity that better reflects what we’re focused on and our new vision, mission and core objective. We would love to hear your ideas.  Should a new name include “workforce development”?  Will people outside our industry understand “IT” or is “Tech” a better word? How can we make our foundation appeal to a broader base of supporters and funders?
   


2. Job Placement: Send me an email if you would consider hiring someone who has been through an IT and business training program supported by the foundation.  We plan to pilot new programs in only a couple regions at first, but I would like to talk to you about what you would look for in an employee and if you would consider a job shadow or internship program.


3. Donations: We always can use your help with funding. The CompTIA Board generously has agreed to fund our administrative costs, but we need your help in getting pilot programs off the ground and delivering training scholarships to needy individuals. A donation of any size will make a big difference in the lives of those who are out of work or living below the poverty line. You can donate online quickly and easily.

Thanks for your support, and look for more exciting news from the foundation in April as we redefine how we can best get people jobs and secure long-term IT careers.

Charles Eaton is the executive director of the CompTIA Educational Foundation. Listen to a recent podcast of the foundation’s 2011 plans.